Undergrad Profile

Founded in 1833, Stephens College believes in providing bold, ambitious young women with the tools, knowledge, and experiences they need to chase down their dreams.

AT A GLANCE

What makes Stephens special?

• The only private college in mid-Missouri to be included in The Princeton Review’s Best 382 Colleges • #17 in Best Quality of Life and Great Campus Experience, according to The Princeton Review • #6 Theatre program in the country, according to The Princeton Review • The 14th-Best Fashion Program in the World, according to The Business of Fashion, London, and the #15 Private Fashion Design School or College in the nation by Fashion-Schools.org • #3 in Long-Term Value (BFA in Fashion), according to USA Business of Fashion • First varsity eSports team at an all-women’s college • #1 Pet-Friendly Campus, according to Dogster.com, with many others rating Stephens the most pet-friendly campus on the planet • Consistently ranked among the top regional colleges in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report

Stephens has become a leader in creative arts and health sciences by focusing on experiential learning and career preparation and cultivating leadership opportunities that lead to real-world success.

Here we create the “dream up culture,” complemented by a focus on the individual. We are a community of dreamers and doers, passionate about our goals and eager to achieve them.

Today Stephens students are changing the world in the creative and performing arts, fashion, education, and the health sciences, while others are pursuing goals in fields such as equestrian studies, marketing, and psychology. Graduate and online students are making their impact too, advancing their careers in Counseling and Education, Physician Assistant, and Television and Screenwriting programs.

No matter their major, all students at Stephens benefit from small class sizes—a 10:1 student-faculty ratio—and a culture of respect and leadership.

While Stephens College is the second-oldest women’s college in the country, it is located in a large, coeducational college town. Ranked as one of the best college towns in America, Columbia, Missouri, is home to 36,000+ college students. It has it all: film, music, and arts festivals; miles of nature and bike trails; SEC football; and a fantastic downtown with funky coffee shops, quirky bookstores, great restaurants, beautiful parks, and a variety of live music venues.

Most undergraduates live on campus—steps away from friends, professors, classrooms, labs, dining, and free laundry facilities. Students alsohave access to facility crews when needed and around-the-clock security. Stephens offers traditional residential halls, special housing communities, and apartment-style suites and options—all with residential advisors and programming.

And attending a women’s college has its advantages. Studies have shownthat graduates of women’s colleges go on to be more successful than women at co-ed colleges. They graduate feeling more prepared for their first job and are twice as likely to complete an advanced degree as public college graduates.

Ninety-eight percent of Stephens’s students receive some form of financial aid. The College Office of Financial Aid is always available to help families understand their options.

Stephens athletics programs are committed to the philosophy of developing student-athletes whose first priority is education. Affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and a member of the American Midwest Conference, we are proud to have been selected as a Champions of Character school year after year.

Stephens College is the first women’scollege in the country to start a varsity collegiate, all-women’s eSports team. We have joined the National Association of Collegiate eSports (NACE), which includes 90% of varsity collegiate eSports in the country.

Finally, Stephens’s Center for Career and Profession Development (CCPD) offers a full range of services to assist with career planning. The CCPD partners with faculty, advisors, alumnae, and employers on a wide range of student success initiatives.